Entrant###30 - 04-09-2011 

I used to read Tom Zenk´s rants back in the day (whatever did happen to his columns?) and he was always quick to point out that while Michaels no doubt had a serious back injury, he was just biding his time to return when Austin and Rocky were out of the way. And lo and behold, when does Shawn seemingly make a miraculous recovery in time to fight his buddy HHH???? Looks like Zenk was right about Shawn. Probably something to Helms beliefs that HBK is still a wolf in Sheeps clothing despite his new outlook on life.

April 27th, 2011

Mark Satrang
Pro Wrestling Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/pro-wrestling-in-national/top-wcw-pay-perviews#ixzz1KtlIph6v

#2 – WCW WrestleWar ‘92
Everything I said about SuperBrawl II in regards to the no nonsense wrestling and great matches completely applies here, which is no coincidence since they followed each other in pay per view chronology.  The top three matches save the show and just blow anything the WWF was putting out at the time away.  Two best friends Flyin’ Brian Pillman and “Z-Man” Tom Zenk battled over Pillman’s Light Heavyweight Championship.  They told a story of two friends putting aside their friendship for the sake of a Championship, money and glory and put together a four star match to boot. 

WOM 1/18/88

Dave Meltzer in Wrestling Observer Newsletter,  18 January, 1988 reported -

-- Tom Zenk's legal problems with the WWF were also settled out of court, as the WWF sued Zenk for $70,000 for breach of contract. He'll have to give Titan a percentage of his earnings in 1988, but it will be a much smaller percentage than the WWF originally wanted. The whole deal was that the WWF wanted to make an example out of him.

AWA
-- Tom Zenk agreed to start working for the AWA. Zenk signed on the advice of Giant Baba, who wants to push him, but feels he has to make a name for himself in the US first.

WON 1/25/88

Summary of Meltzer Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 25 January, 1988

AWA
-- The Midnight Rockers are now the tag champions. The storyline, which they were forced to do after the fact, was that the 12/27 match against Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose ended with a double pin, but when Stanley Blackburn reviewed the tape, he overruled the referee and made the Rockers the champions. The actual story is that the Original Midnight Express have quit the AWA. Announcer Larry Nelson said on TV, "We have heard a rumor they got hurt." Rose wasn't making any money and wanted a guarantee to make it worth his time to commute from Georgia. Condrey had a guarantee, but it was cut by Verne Gagne, so Condrey quit on the spot. There was talk of them coming back and jobbing the belts in the ring, but Verne simply decided he wanted nothing to do with them anymore. Dave says he has heard varying stories on Paul E. Dangerously -- both that he's still with them and that he's not with them -- but that Paul E. was not at the last TV taping. The Rockers are still wrestling instead of Memphis and not in the AWA, but everyone expects that to change soon.

-- Tom Zenk is in and will probably get a good push, but Dave worries that Verne will bank on him too much. Zenk coming in is why Verne has been hesitant to really push Nord the Barbarian all that hard, although he's probably the most over wrestler in the Twin Cities at this point, aside from Hogan. They are afraid to push him too much because they don't think he will stick around.

WON 2/15/1988

Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 15 February, 1988 reported

AWA
-- The final card at the Minneapolis Auditorium happened on 02/04 before a low turnout of 1,700 fans. They were hyping it as Nostalgia Night, and the WWF countered by running "Mad Dog Vachon Night" in the same market the following week, and even ended up bringing in old AWA stars for their show like The Crusher, Nick Bockwinkel and Blackjack Lanza. Verne had Red Bastien, Killer Kowalski, Carl Eller (never wrestled, but was a member of the Minnesota Vikings Purple People Eaters front four in the early 70s), Butch Levy, Leo Nomellini, Hard Boiled Haggerty, Dick the Bruiser (who wrestled), Billy Robinson and perennial jobber Kenny "Sodbuster" Jay, who actually got the biggest pop. Verne Gagne and Stanley Blackburn were in attendance as well. Dave says Zenk/Robinson stood out in the wrong way, because Zenk is the only potential contender they have for Hennig, and a 50-year old guy took him to a 20-minute draw. He also controlled the entire match, which was in slow motion and Zenk had no opportunity to do anything to get himself over. The AWA now doesn't have a venue lined out for the Twin Cities.

-- Adrian Adonis is out until March at the earliest. The match where he broke his ankle was a match against Ricky Rice that did air on TV.

-- Kelly Kiniski quit. He was unhappy with his $170 weekly check and went back to Canada.

-- Nord the Barbarian quit. He's hugely over in the AWA because of his car commercials, but Verne never wanted to push him because he didn't think he could last.

-- Still no word on the future of Paul E. Dangerously.

WON 2/29/88

Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsleteer 29 February, 1988 reports -

AWA
-- The Rock & Roll Express is scheduled to debut as babyfaces at the 02/20 tapings. Dave doesn't think this makes sense, since they were always booed on Crockett shows in the Twin Cities, and they have a natural feud with Michaels and Jannetty. Later in the issue, Dave says Morton and Gibson didn't even show up, but Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond did, and they won the tag titles.

-- Tom Zenk quit the same day he was to do an angle with Curt Hennig at a TV taping, because he wanted a guarantee. He also didn't understand the logic of doing a time limit draw with Billy Robinson before feuding with Hennig.
-- The Nasty Boys have been let go.

-- In addition to Curt Hennig, Kevin Kelly and Madusa Miceli are also on guarantees. Hennig's is $1,500 per week and Kelly and Miceli's is less than $300 per week.

-- The AWA will restart on 3/19 in Las Vegas.

-- "I believe the word in Minneapolis is that due to all the confusion from the 2/4 Hennig vs Greg Gagne match that they are saying the title is held up. So they've got the tag title held up in three cities but nowhere else, and the singles title held up in two cities with two different challengers."

-- Wally Karbo and Verne Gagne have settled their lawsuit out of court, with Verne agreeing to pay Karbo whatever he owes him. Karbo is settling for 10 cents on the dollar.

-- They shot an angle at the Las Vegas tapings with Baron Von Raschke and Sheik Adnan El-Kaissey. "Boy, they'll pack them in for those grudge matches."

-- "I'm told the recent AWA cards have drawn between 42 and 300 fans."

-- "On the Minneapolis TV show which aired on 2/21, Verne said that all the promoters in the Midwest want to recognize Greg as the champion. He later said if Stanley Blackburn doesn't like it, then maybe the AWA will have to find a new president. I wonder what Stanley Blackburn feels about being put in the position of being the top heel in the AWA. Maybe he can team with Sheik and feud with Verne and the Baron. Verne even compared the current situation to the forming of the AWA back in 1957 when Edouardo Carpentier beat Lou Thesz (one of the falls was via DQ) and the NWA wouldn't recognize the title change but the promoters in the Midwest took it upon themselves to recognize Carpentier and those promoters wound up as the AWA a few years later with Verne as champion after Verne beat Carpentier (at least when they bring up old stories, they are true stories.)"

-- There is pressure on Curt Hennig, and they appear to be covering their backsides if something happens with him. He took a hard bump on his neck and shoulder and was supposed to be in traction, but worked in Portland and Las Vegas through heavy pain. He did miss two spot shows, which the office was furious about. Dave suspects they are looking for an excuse to cut out his big guarantee. "Hey, if Curt's available, I just hope some guys looking for a Fourth Horseman wake up."

WON 02/08/88

Dave Meltzer , Wrestling Observer Newsletter  8 February, 1988

AWA
-- Kelly Kiniski has been fired, and they have pretty much no heels left.

-- Tom Zenk is signed to face Billy Robinson on the 02/04 show at the Minneapolis Auditorium, the last show at the arena before it is torn down, and Dave is surprised by that match, because independent promotions won't use Robinson because of his rep of shooting, and that he could easily show Zenk up/

-- Baron Von Raschke and the Nasty Boys are now full-time. Steve DiSalvo is splitting time between the AWA and Calgary.

-- Adrian Adonis suffered a broken ankle during the Minot, ND, TV tapings. There was a hole in the ring and Adonis stepped into it during an Irish whip spot. This also caused him to miss his scheduled New Japan tour, and he's not expected back for at least two months.

-- Kevin Kelly and Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey got into a fight while taping a promo that started as a work before tempers started flaring and they were really fighting. Kaissey was beaten to a pulp.

-- An AWA album will be coming out soon, featuring Greg Gagne, Baron Von Raschke, Wahoo McDaniel, Jerry Blackwell, Tommy Rich, Dick Slater, Jerry Lawler, Jeff Jarrett, the Midnight Rockers and Tom Zenk. The album is being recorded in Atlanta. Blackwell, Rich and Slater were there because the Gagnes helped them get an insurance break for their new promotion. Lawler and Jarrett were there because there is planned to be more talent swapping between both territories in the future. In fact, Curt Hennig is scheduled to work a heavy schedule for CWA because the AWA is no longer running a full schedule.

WON 03/28/88

Meltzer - Wrestling Observer 28 March, 1988 reported -
-- They are trying to say Hennig injured Tom Zenk and ran him out of the AWA, even saying "As you all saw ..." when it never aired or even happened. "The AWA has this thing about burying guys who leave of course, but to have the audacity to say, 'as you all saw' for an event that nobody saw because it never took place is something I'm not even sure World Class has ever done."

OREGON
-- Billy Jack Haynes is getting ready to run opposition to Down Owen in Portland. Rip Oliver and Mike Miller have both quick working for Owen and are expected to start working for Haynes in a few weeks. Kevin Kelly, the Memphis Big Bubba (Fred Ottman/Shockmaster/Tugboat/Typhoon for those who don't know), JT Southern, a heel Chavo Guerrero (who is expected to feud with Brady Boone), and also Curt Hennig and Tom Zenk have been given offers. Hennig likely will not come in, as he is content in the AWA ("well, as content as anyone can be working for Verne Gagne"), and Don Owen has already billed Zenk as appearing in his promotion. There's also talk of Brad Rheingans possibly working for Haynes, and Joey Jackson has been discussed as well since he just quit working for Owen, although it's suspected that's because he's going to the WWF as a jobber. Matt Borne is taking Miller's place working for Owen. Al Madrial and Abbuda Dein are headed in, and Brian Adams should be back from Japan soon. The promotion is going to be called the OWWF (Oregon-Washington Wrestling Federation), and they have a wrestling school set up as well.

-- Curt Hennig was in Portland on 3/5 and unable to wrestle due to back and neck injuries. The AWA title was announced as being held up in Portland with a Hennig (who's a babyface in Portland) match against The Grappler, "... but instead The Assassin represented Hennig and beat Grappler which made hennig the 'new' AWA champion and if you understand that, you're ahead of me."

"500 Days Of Tom Zenk"

Tanya Gold

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Tanya Gold
Born	1973 United Kingdom
Occupation	Journalist, Author
Notable credit(s)	Daily Mail columnist The Guardian columnist The Independent columnist

Tanya Gold (born 31 December^[1] 1973) is a British journalist. She was educated at Kingston Grammar School and Merton College, Oxford.^[2] She has written for a variety of newspapers in the United Kingdom, including The Guardian, the Daily Mail, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph and the Evening Standard. In 2009 she was highly commended in the Feature Writer of the Year category at the British Press Awards. In 2010 she won Feature Writer of the Year at the British Press Awards.^[3]
She is best known for writing comic observational articles.^[4] She has also written articles exploring her recovery from alcoholism,^[5] and her undercover investigations into the television series Big Brother and the descendants of Nazis who converted to Judaism and moved to Israel. She has also written a column about giving up smoking, "The Quitter".^[6] She is the agony aunt for Esquire magazine. Gold has a monthly column in Power Slam magazine entitled "500 Days Of Tom Zenk" in which she reviews a different Tom Zenk match every day for 500 days. The column achieved controversy in November 2010 when in a review of a 1991 fancam recording of a ten-minute draw between Zenk and Ricky Morton she "shouted out" 1930s Irish fascist leader Eoin O'Duffy.
In October 2008, she wrote an article for The Guardian about her alma mater: "Oxford is hellish. It needs to be broken apart and stuffed with state school kids - for its own good."^[2] She criticised Merton and Oxford University, as well as the University's chancellor, Chris Patten, for a culture she saw as privileged, stratified by socioeconomic status, and emotionally repressive.

[edit] References

1. ^ Tanya Gold (December 29, 2009). "Nightmare on New Year's Eve"". http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/29/nightmare-on-new-years-eve. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Tanya Gold (October 2, 2008). "Oxford is hellish. It needs to be broken apart and stuffed with state-school kids - for its own good". http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/02/oxforduniversity. 
3. ^ Tanya Gold (June 5, 2008). "So what if Max Mosley played dodgy sex games? Some of those who condemn him should look at their own pasts". http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/05/secondworldwar.fashion. 
4. ^ Tanya Gold (September 16, 2008). "They seek her here . . .". http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/16/celebrity.culturaltrips. 
5. ^ Tanya Gold (January 29, 2008). "As a recovering alcoholic". http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jan/29/gender.world. 
6. ^ Tanya Gold (December 21, 2004). "The quitter". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2004/dec/21/lifeandhealth.smoking.

WrestleMania rematches

celebritysentry.com

With RAW this Monday having a WrestleMania rematch card, I decided to look back through the history of WrestleMania and see what our possibilities are.........

WrestleMania III  Rick Martel & Tom Zenk vs. Don Muraco & Bob Orton It would be classic to see Tom Zenk on RAW. Doubt it.
Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake vs. The Rougeau BrothersMight be fun. But it won't happen.
Butch Reed vs. Koko B. WareReed was seen in the already-forgotten Theodore Long-Kristal Marshall wedding angle. Koko still works. Let's make it happen.
Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy SavageLeave this one the way it is.
Honky Tonk Man vs. Jake RobertsIs Alice Cooper going to be there?
Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff vs. The Killer BeesDo I have to go there? you need to be humbled, you great high jumper?

Marvez: Catching up with 'Cowboy' Bob Orton, father of Randy

Wed, 01/26/2011 - 12:38 By ALEX MARVEZ, Scripps Howard News Service

"Wrestlemania" entrenched WWE as the dominant U.S. promotion. But it was outstanding veteran hands raided from regional groups, like Orton, Piper and Hogan, that comprised the backbone of WWE's national expansion.
"A lot of things fell into place," Orton said. "We had the best talent and, of course, (WWE owner) Vince McMahon had the novel idea of going nationwide. When Hogan came in, he was so hot that it just clicked. And then we got stars from other areas like Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T, Liberace and Muhammad Ali involved. People loved to watch it."
They also loved to hate Orton, who would rile fans by using a cast on his forearm as a weapon against baby-face opponents. Orton was never really injured, but still donned the plaster for well over a year.
While his role at "Wrestlemania I" was more prominent, Orton said his most memorable wrestling moment came in an undercard tag-team match with Don Muraco against the Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel and Tom Zenk) at "Wrestlemania III" in 1987.
"'Wrestlemania I' had all the hype, but I didn't actually wrestle," said Orton, who cost Piper and Orton their match by accidentally whacking the latter with his cast. "I was involved in the main event, but I didn't get to do what I enjoy doing best. Plus at 'Wrestlemania III,' there were 90,000-plus people (in attendance). It was just awesome."

DOS HOMBRES  - Tom Zenk or Shane Douglas?

A wrestling fan since 1986, Sir Jorge of Sir Jorge's Pro Wrestling Blog, still cannot tell who was under the mask  .....(yes it was Tom Zenk)

Jorge, reviewing Steve Austen's greatest matches writes, " 3. Stunning Steve Austin & Brian Pillman vs. Dos Hombres (Ricky Steamboat & Tom Zenk) - This match took place inside a Steel Cage. Wikipedia said that it was Tom Zenk under the mask, but I was under the impression that it was Shane Douglas. This match was another instant classic, one that featured some amazing moments. The finale was great, with all the guys flying across the ring, and Austin hitting his finisher The Stun Gun to get the win for the Blonds. "

トム・ジンク ＴＯＭ　ＺＩＮＫ ■１９６０年１１月３０日 ■ミネソタ州ミネアポリス出身 ■１８５cm　１００kg ■得意技：ドロップキック

---

高校卒業後、ゴールド・ジムで体を鍛える。Ｅ・シャーキーにスカウトされて８３年にＭＳＷＡ地区でデビュー。ＷＷＦではリック・マーテルと組んでカンナム・コネクションとして活躍。８６年、全日本プロレスの最強タッグ決定リーグ戦にリック･マーテルと組んで参加。抜群のチームワークで活躍。９チーム中６位で敢闘賞。８７年の最強タッグにもターミネーターと組んで参加。８９年末にＺマンとなって、ＮＷＡに進出。ＷＣＷではジョニー・ガンと組んで活躍。以後、ＷＣＷとの関係で新日本プロレスに２回登場。

Portland update from Fans of Portland Wrestling and WrestlingClassics.com

Portland Wrestling's weekly Saturday night cards and TV tapings were held at the Portland Sports Arena. The building still stands and is part of the Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Its at 8501 North Chautauqua Blvd. Portland, OR 97217. 

Oh and it's was never a studio. It was a converted bowling alley turned wrestling arena/ flea market. At the time of Portland Wrestling,  it was an old building. Not that it was broken down at all, but no effort was ever made to really clean it up. If you went to the Portland Sports Arena, you would smell like Winston's for the next week..... Andyou could always count on cold hot dogs & warm RC. It was a GREAT place for pro wrestling!!!

(Above) Inside of the old sports arena today. The double doors at the end of the hallway are about the only things left from the Sports Arena days. You can't see them, but right next to the Pepsi machines are the steps the wrestlers would take to get to the ring. The steps to the old Crow's Nest interview area were about where the two chairs and table are sitting.

 Dynamite Kid and some of the Klan in the Crows Nest

In the "Crow's Nest" TV interview area, circa 1986 - Billy Jack Haynes, Tom Zenk & Brady Boone confront Rip Oliver, Bobby Jaggers, Mike Miller, while Don Coss holds the mike and the middle ground.

Zenk was at his biggest...

 

....a melee erupts.

Not Jay Tabb writes ......

Not Jay Tabb is a blog named after the 2007/08 Coventry City player of the year. It is also my attempt to rediscover what I love about pro-wrestling. For while I still watch the WWE and TNA regularly, I don't invest in tapes or seeking out new wrestling anywhere near as much as I used to. Using the collection of tapes I've amassed over the years, Youtube and new purchases, I aim to give an opinion on, and enjoy, as much pro-wrestling as possible. Wish me luck

Saturday, 21 August 2010

Everyday Is Like Tom Zenk: Tom Zenk vs Rob Rechsteiner (AWA 21/08/1985)

One of the things I want to do with this blog is to find out if my taste in wrestling as a kid was worthless or not. There are a selection of wrestlers who I was a big fan of between the ages of 10-18, and I want to see if I still like them now. One of these wrestlers is Tom Zenk, and Youtube threw up this interesting curio, where the Z-Man is fighting a pre-fame Rick Steiner, going under his birth name, in the AWA. Zenk is the veteran here, with Steiner looking a little green in the early stages of the match. There is a nice spot early in the match where Steiner powers Zenk onto the top rope, then foolishly jawing with the crowd, allowing Zenk to hit a crossbody for two. Zenk has some fine fiery babyface offence and Steiner makes a decent attempt at covering for over-early sell of a dropkick by rolling to the outside as if he'd deliberately avoided contact. There is a botched attempt at an airplane spin, seemingly from Steiner leaping too early, but a second attempt sees Zenk pick up the three. Hard to really make a judgement on Zenk from this match, which was essentially a squash and saw Zenk lumbered with a very green Steiner, but there were positive signs in his offence.

Everyday Is Like Tom Zenk: Can-Am Connection vs Sika & Kamala

Yes! This is exactly the kind of glorious wrestling madness I wanted to rediscover when I undertook this opus. The Can-Am's of Tom Zenk and Rick Martel are a team I've always wanted to see more of, and check out that opposition. In kayfabe terms, that's a sensational mix of monsters. Adding to the lunacy is George Steele on commentary, contributing nothing more than grunts. The big fellas dominate the early stages, but Zenk wriggles free when Kamala tries to splash him against Sika. Martel tags in and Kamala bumps huge over the top rope for a Martel dropkick. With Sika left alone in the ring, Martel uses his quickness to elude the wild Samoan's attacks and ground him with an armdrag. Zenk comes in and continues the assault on Sika's left arm. Sika's strength allows him to take control again, allowing him and Kamala to work over Zenk. The savages work over Zenk with some basic, if fun offence, including a spot where Kamala rams Zenk headfirst into the thick Samoan skull of Sika. The hot tag comes out of nowhere and leads to all four men in the ring. Martel stops Kamala hitting Air Africa on Zenk and then hits a sloppy crossbody on Sika to win. Despite the hot tag literally coming from nowhere, this was good fun, especially with the heels being the kind of larger-than-life monsters that make for enjoyable tag encounters. Zenk kind of got shafted though, barely getting in any offence with Martel clearly positioned as the dominant Can-Am.

Friday, 24 September 2010

Everyday Is Like Tom Zenk: Z-Man vs Cuban Assassin

Gary Michael Capetta announces this is Zenk's NWA debut, so this can't be long after his leaving the WWF due to an alleged pay dispute. Zenk takes an early advantage over the Assassin with some typical fiery babyface offence. Messers Ross and Cornette on commentary give the Z-Man some verbal fellatio, as Zenk keeps the advantage with several armdrags. Assassin gets in a small modicum of offence, but misses a diving headbutt from the second rope. The match is pretty much a showcase squash for Zenk, who looks good throughout- he's got superb dropkicks and he works the end sequence well, reversing Assassin holds and niftily putting on a sleeper for the win. This is the best Zenk has looked in EDILTZ so far, because he was given a role in the match that let him showcase his abilities. A good sign.

Saturday, 18 December 2010

Everyday Is Like Tom Zenk: Zenk & Bagwell vs Taylor & Flamingo

Z Man & Marcus Bagwell vs Terry Taylor & Scotty Flamingo
This comes in the middle of a fued between Bagwell and the Taylor Made Man. Bagwell starts with Flamingo and looks pretty darn good, showing a fiery athleticism that was missing from the Buff Bagwell days. Taylor comes in as the veteran of the match as pointed out by JR, and plays the role of the cocky vet very well, whilst also letting Bagwell look good against him. Zenk also displays some good babyface fire when he comes in, hittng flying headscissors on both heels and busting out a springboard crossbody on Taylor which pops the crowd. Flamingo manages to make a blind tag to Taylor, who gets the advantage on Zenk from behind and starts pumping out some heeling tactics, starting by choking Zenk behind the referee's back. The heels continue to work Zenk over, cutting off the ring and drawing Bagwell in to distract the ref whilst they choke Zenk out. Zenk fires back with a neckbreaker, and makes a pretty abrupt hot tag to Bagwell. All four guys end up in the ring, allowing Zenk to hit a superkick on Taylor for the win. The match could have used another 5 minutes or so to stretch out the heat sequence on Zenk, but it was a perfectly decent wrestling match, with all four bringing a fact tempo to the match.

Zenk & Bagwell vs Taylor & Flamingo

Prowrestling Net writes (#0 November, 2010) - " Former WWE wrestler Tom Zenk (a/k/a Z-Man in WCW) celebrates his 52nd birthday today. He was born on November 30, 1958. He stirred up a lot of attention with his shoot commentaries and blogs, but it's been a while since I've heard anything about Zenk."

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoubleDrive I have no idea what you are talking about sir... And neither does Tom Zenk!

Yesss.....that is what I remember. Was it still a JCP product at that point, or had WCW bought out WCW by then? I don't remember, I was young, and didn't know any of the backstage shit back then...kayfabe was great...

edit: I guess the WCW sheet in the background of the photo should be a clue...h ah aha


REVIEW ; ZENK ALWAYS IMPRESSES

WCW/NJPW Rumble In The Rising Sun 1991

Segment 2 - NJPW: (Team Shiny Jackets!) Shiro Koshinaka, Kuniaki Kobayashi, and Takayuki Iizuka vs. WCW: (Team Mullet Power!) Tim Horner, Brian Pillman, and Tom Zenk.

Vice: Vice needs to see more Brian Pillman and Z-Man. This much is obvious. Tim Horner and the Japanese folk.. not so much.

Fun opening match. Japan wins. That’s basically it.

Cewsh: MULLETS!

Okay, so this is the 90s. All the Americans have huge, fluffy mullets, and all of the Japanese guys have ridiculously high pants and shiny jackets. Also good to remember, is that this is probably the first time that an American audience was in any way exposed to Japanese wrestlers to this extent, and certainly to the Japanese fanbase. JR has to make a point of telling the audience that the fans aren’t bored, but are instead maintaining a respectful silence. I’m actually blown away, initially, by how amazing Ross and Schiavone are working together as an announcing team. They complement each other incredibly well, and Ross especially is just fantastic to listen to. Seeing this really does drive home how much of a shell of himself he’s become these days. Depressing, really.

The match itself was hard to get used to at first, because we as wrestling fans have gotten used to some truly incredibly displays of high flying, and exciting opening match wrestling in the past 18 years, and to see this, I wasn’t even conscious, at first, that that’s what they were going for. As the match unfolded, though, it became more clear, and I actually found myself impressed, not with Pillman or the Japanese guys, and certainly not with Horner, but instead with Tom Zenk. What the shit happened to Tom Zenk? The guy had an amazing look for the early 90s, and his offense was actually really fun to watch. To say nothing of how fluid a team he and Pillman were. I was really getting into the guy, and it’s a good thing, because I just finished watching the match twelve seconds ago, and I couldn’t tell you anything about the Japanese guys, aside from the old one with the Harley Race sideburns. They were basically just there, and seemed like complete cannon fodder for the Americans.

Which, of course, made it even weirder when the young one (Kobayashi I think?) ran in and hit a Dragon Suplex on Horner to get the win. Seemed completely contrary to the match altogether, but it was probably booked by arrangement between the two companies anyway, so I guess I can see how it would work out that way.

Interesting opener. Not great. Not bad. Interesting.

65 out of 100.

 ---------------------

BALTIMORE SUN

Posted by: Michael in Virginia | June 22, 2010 11:59 PM

The leader of NXT should be someone with legitimate long time heat on Vince and the WWE -- a former wrestler who left on less than ideal terms and has remained estranged from the company.
Bruno Sammartino isn't too hot on the mike, and the Bret Hart story now appears over, so how about former Can Am Connection member Tom Zenk?

--------------
FLASHBACK -  Ever wonder why you didn't see much of Tom Zenk in 1988 - well .... Wrestling Observer, Jan 18th, 1988 reported.....

"-- Tom Zenk's legal problems with the WWF were also settled out of court, as the WWF sued Zenk for $70,000 for breach of contract. He'll have to give Titan a percentage of his earnings in 1988, but it will be a much smaller percentage than the WWF originally wanted. The whole deal was that the WWF wanted to make an example out of him. "

Favorite match ever

Midnight Express vs Pilman/Zenk - Capital Combat 90 which is along the same lines as the Cowboys match from GAB 90 but which I prefer just for the crazy pace and telepathic spots everyone pulls off. God I love that match so much. (Forums Deathvalley Driver)

Mat classics images 

Would Tom Zenk have been a better world champ than......

 Would Tom Zenk have been a better world champ than: 1) Lex Luger 2) Sid Vicious 3) Sting 4) Scott Steiner 5) Booker T 

join the discussion at Wrestling Classics

I think Zenk would have been better than Dusty. Remember I am not saying 'was he better than...' or 'did he have a better career'? I am asking, knowing what you know of the guys I picked and their title reigns, could Zenk, if pushed right have been a better draw and a better NWA/WCW World Champion?

****

Zenk could work his butt off and he could do the humble face or the smartaleck heel. What's the deal huh? Most sports would love to have a young good looking guy who was a great athlete and who had the build. What up? I guess it is more important to protect your spot than to do what's right for the business. Right?

join the discussion at Wrestling Classics

Prize for the most frequently asked question is .........

kideternity Join Date: Feb 2010

Tom Zenk - when I look back at old tapes I just don't know why he didn't go any further, great look, great talent! What happened?

kideternity

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Shooting the Messenger ...

Wrestlers who speak out against WWE and drugs sitation labelled 'bitter' says UK Sun

"Some people do say it but it is dismissed as sour grapes. They are written off as jealous or guys who never made it. But they are the ones with their eyes open" says Jim Cornette

UK Sun newspaper
Wednesday 20 January, 2010

By SIMON ROTHSTEIN

JIM CORNETTE has blasted WWE owner Vince McMahon over the large number of grapplers who have died young.

Cornette says that wrestlers he either befriended, managed or trained during his time working for the WWE between 1993 and 2005 are now dead - including the recent tragic passings of Eddie 'Umaga' Fatu and Tony 'Ludvig Borga' Halme and previous deaths including Eddie Gurrero, Davey Boy Smith and Andrew 'Test' Martin.

He told us: "It is never easy when a friend dies.

"But at first it was 'oh my gosh', then it was 'oh no', then it was 'not again' and finally you're not surprised anymore.

"It is never good, but it isn't shocking. That's the sad thing.

"It is more shocking if a professional wrestler from the 1980s is actually found in good health and living a nice life with no problems.

"When I was a kid watching wrestling in the 1970s, every couple of years you would hear of a few wrestlers dying in a car wreck.

"Now a month doesn't go by that you don't hear some about wrestler dying at an early age, because of drugs or by-products of drugs which are by-products of the unfortunate work environment that they found themselves in."

Look at Vince himself....he is 64-years-old and on the cover of Muscle and Fitness.

Cornette blames the epidemic on a number of things, including the trend to headline shows with wrestlers who had bodybuilder style physiques.

He singles out 1980s and 1990s world champions such as Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior and current main event star Triple H as examples, although all proved very popular with fans.

He told us: "It is no secret that in WWE a guy of average ability with a great physique will always get a bunch more chances in WWE than a guy with great ability and less impressive physique.

"That is what Vince has always tried to book and always tried to push.

"And look at Vince himself. OK yes, he has great genetics and trains vigorously, but c'mon he is 64-years-old and on the cover of Muscle and Fitness. That is the example he is setting.

"When I was working for rival firm NWA in the 1980s, we used to joke that half of the guys in our main events weren't big enough to open the show for Vince McMahon.

"A lot of the guys in the 1980s got on this s*** and it creates a dependence, a mental if not a physical one.

"Of course no one ever told you that you had to take steroids to get a job and there wasn't a bunch of 10 boys in the locker room sticking needles in their asses out in the open.

"But just look at the hiring practices. Who got the pushes and who didn't.

"Then when heat got on the WWE in the early 1990s about it, things changed and it was the smaller guys like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart who were featured on top.

"But as soon as the heat was off of the steroids issue, the big guys started creeping back in.

"And even if it is not as prevalent recently as it was in the 1980s it was still obviously there, up until the past few years when the heat got back on again after Benoit.

"So, that's the steroid problem."

Talking about other issues, Jim continues: "The style of pro wrestling has got so much harder with bigger bumps, so painkillers come into it.

"In the old days, the fans thought we were hurting each other but we really weren't.

"Now, the guys are really hurting each other and the fans don't believe anything because they were told it's phoney.

"There are also guys who lose their push and need surgery, but put it off and off because they have the mentality that, not only does the show need to go on, but also somebody else might take their spot and they might not get it back.

"Then you take into account that wrestlers' careers are so much shorter because there is no territory system and they're on national television every week. Many more get burnt out.

"Guys get depressed when all of a sudden, after being stars for three or four years, they can't get a job because there is no place else to work.

"That then leads to a drug problem.

"So it's all of these things - fewer places to work, change in the style and Vince's hiring practices and who he pushes.

"All of those have lead to early deaths from heart attacks and drug and steroid related problems."

"Some people do say it but it is dismissed as sour grapes. They are written off as jealous or guys who never made it. But they are the ones with their eyes open."

Cornette does concede that the WWE are trying to tackle the problem.

The company have imposed a strict Wellness Policy on their talent - suspending and even firing those who fail drugs test.

They also offer to pay for any current of former star to get rehab, an offer that four per cent have taken up.

However Cornette believes these moves may be down to the company wanting avoid the bad publicity that came in the wake of the Chris Benoit murder/suicides.

While there is no evidence that WWE have anything but the best intentions, Jim claims: "The WWE are doing a lot but that's probably because of the bad publicity.

"They're a publically traded entertainment company and a bunch of their employees or former employees are dying at an early age.

"And let me just say this - top guys with a lot of money to spend can always get the good stuff if they want it to beat the test.

"Although for the guys who don't make much money, then they have to get clean now they are doing legitimate testing."

Although Jim, who currently works for indie group Ring Of Honor, is the one of the only people currently in the wrestling industry prepared to speak out - many former stars have.

However those grapplers, including Marc Mero, Bruno Sammartino and Superstar Billy Graham, have been labelled as bitter.

Is Jim worried that the same accusations may be levelled at him?

He says: "People may say I'm biased because the WWE screwed me out of a business deal here in Louisville with Ohio Valley Wrestling, and yes I am biased.

"But at the same time, look at it!

"A lot of people won't say what I am because they still want a job.

"Some people do say it but it is dismissed as sour grapes. They are written off as jealous or guys who never made it. But they are the ones with their eyes open.

"Nobody can dispute the facts. They just try to shoot the messenger.

"So I don't care what they think of me and I'm sure they don't care what I think of them.

"I'm just telling the truth."

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/2815458/Jim-Cornette-blasts-WWE-over-number-of-grapplers-who-have-died-young.html#ixzz0dBcKTYr3

Steve Austin Legacy DVD Review

http://www.angrymarks.com/news/View.php?ArticleID=2946

Written by Stevie J.

EXTRACT ....

Steve Austin found his singles push derailed though when Dusty put him in a tag team with Brian Pillman, which Austin was not happy about at first. Austin says that as time went on and they drove down the road together working shows "things started to click" and that they enjoyed making each other laugh. Pillman eventually decided they should be called the Hollywood Blonds and the name stuck. This leads to our first wrestling match of the whole DVD set.

* Hollywood Blonds (C) vs. Dos Hombres (WCW Tag Team Championship steel cage match)

This match is from WCW's Slamboree PPV on May 23rd, 1993. I don't know if Dos Hombres always wrestled under a mask but it's to WCW's benefit here as they had to fool people into thinking Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas were the challengers. Douglas had been fired before the PPV though so Tom Zenk took his place under the mask. Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko even argue they don't know who is Douglas and who is Steamboat due to the masks during the match, and it's all a little absurd because Schiavone then contradicts this by saying he can tell Steamboat is the one wrestling Austin because of his knife-edge chops. The Blonds were a good team and the wrestling here is just fine but I'm not convinced this is the best example of Austin's tag team days they could have included. I do like some of the spots in the match, such as Austin being from the top of the cage like a tree of woe, but manages to escape just before his opponent rams into the fence. Another good spot is when Steamboat takes his mask off just before going to the top of the cage where he does a flying crossbody onto both Austin and Pillman. The Blonds retain when Austin pins Zenk off a Stun Gun and in the words of 'Super Chico' Bryan Alvarez, "This was fine." WINNERS AND STILL WCW TAG TEAM CHAMPS: THE HOLLYWOOD BLONDS.

Personally I think I would have preferred if they had put the career bio and the matches in seperate places, but I realize that probably would have been too much like other Austin releases such as "The Stone Cold Story." Austin talks about how much fun he and Pillman were having together and how over they got with their antics. Unfortunately in the whacky world of pro wrestling "getting over" is often the OPPOSITE of what a promoter wants you to do. Instead of being happy that you were successful in connecting with the crowd the promoter gets upset that a "mid-card act" or "filler team" is more popular than the established veterans or the guys at the top of the card. As a result WCW forced Austin and Pillman to split up, which meant they had to have a feud once the team ended.

11-11-2009,
TheDarkOne


I always wonder what Raw and the E would be like under different management. The great Tom Zenk used to talk at length about this and watching last night's episode made me think of this.
I don't think the program is unwatchable from week to week, but they suffer from using the same tired bits and turns. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the younger talent get wins over DX for example but under the current state of affairs I don't see it happening unless it's a build to another pay per view where the good guy eventually wins. I think the show suffers most from not having a consistent heel champion. Every time Orton gains moment the Champ shows up. It would be great to see Orton, Jericho, and possibly a few others create a stable that would be unstoppable by any of the faces but so many of the heels have been made to look so weak it would be a hard sell.

Vindictive booking.....

A Column by Derek K. for OWW on well regarded workers like SD Jones brought the following response from Harvey McCarthy. McCarthy's piece in turn raises the question - "If it's the job of the booker to fill arenas, why do some bookers downcard wrestlers with huge fan followings?" The answer, according to Dusty Rhodes - "vindictive booking."

"Harvey McCarthy wrote: ......I don’t think wrestling fans today appreciate what we had in the 1980s. I remember when Jim Powers and Paul Roma were repackaged into winners. They had a reverse decision over the Harts with the help of Mr. T. It was the start of the Young Stallions. Unfortunately, those two men didn’t get along and Vince broke them up. How about when PJ Walker pinned Mike Rotundo on Raw? He became Aldo Montoya not long afterwards. The fact that the “upset” could happen kept us tuned in through out all the other squash matches. Eventually, wrestling switched from pure jobbers to guys that promotions, especially WCW, wanted to bury. Tom Zenk is the best example of someone who many fans consider a jobber because of the way his career ended. He was brought into WCW to be a star. According to online interviews, he was supposed to have been a top five babyface. In the end, he was used to make other guys look good. Ironically, like Lanny Poffo in the WWF, they both started at the top of the card, but ended at the bottom when the bookers changed. Zenk, like Poffo, made good money but their careers stalled when they became “Jobbers to the Stars.” Oddly enough, like SD Jones and Iron Mike Sharpe, they had huge fan followings. Now, wrestling seems to be the same guys recycled over and over again. Why would I care that John Cena is going to face Shawn Michaels at Summer Slam, for example, when they have wrestled 20 times on TV already this year?"

Ric Flair and the WCW title Debut on WWE TV

September 09, 2009 By: Eric Gargiulo

Ric Flair and the WWE made pro wrestling history 18 years ago today. On September 9, 1991 Ric Flair debuted on WWE Prime Time Wrestling with the WCW title. Flair did the unthinkable, leaving WCW without dropping the title and bringing it to the rival. Now you know why Vince McMahon was so afraid of Bret Hart jumping to WCW with the belt?

This was truly a top ten moment in the history of pro wrestling. I remember thinking at the time that it was the greatest thing I had ever seen as a wrestling fan. For years, the Dream Match between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair had been talked about. Finally, it would happen. On top of that, Flair never dropped the WCW belt and brought it with him. It didn’t get any better for a wrestling fan in 1990.

There was never and probably never will be another moment like this in my lifetime. For one, there is no WWE competition at the level of a Ric Flair in 1990 to steal. Secondly, there are so many legal ramifications in this generation that nobody is going to risk such an act. This was truly one of the last outlaw moments in pro wrestling.

Not everyone was excited about this moment. I talked to several WCW wrestlers at the time who were very angry. Tom Zenk who wrestled as the Z Man in WCW at the time was one of those wrestlers. A lot of the WCW wrestlers took it as a personal slap in the face by Ric Flair. Even one of Flair’s best friends, Barry Windham recently told me that he still hasn’t completely forgiven Flair for what he did in 1990 with the WCW belt. As a WCW wrestler, it didn’t get any more personal than this. Scott Steiner is another WCW wrestler at the time who continues to express bitterness over Flair’s jump.

The story has been told several times by Ric Flair. Flair’s side of the story is that he and WCW executive Jim Herd were constantly at odds. Both were in the middle of a contract negotiation. Herd demanded that Flair drop the belt to Barry Windham. Flair hung up on him and refused. Flair called Vince McMahon, made a deal, and took the belt with him.

It was expected that Flair and Hogan would break records. For whatever reason, Flair was a flop in New York. Former WWE office employee J.J. Dillon has written in his book about the fact that the match didn’t draw and bombed at the box office. In an unheard of move at the time, the WWE canceled their planned WrestleMania main-event of Hogan and Flair a few weeks before the show because of this. The buzz was there, but WWE fans weren’t buying the Nature Boy’s act.

Flair would leave the WWE only a few years after joining the company. Flair returned to WCW amidst controversy. In retrospect, it is quite shocking that Flair was allowed to come back to the company. Flair refused to drop the belt and brought it to the competition with intentions of putting WCW out of business. This wasn’t business for Flair, it was personal. Eric Bischoff was one of the few guys to recognize this and gets a lot of heat today for disrespecting Flair. In hindsight, did Flair deserve anything less?

It is funny to me in looking back on this story. Flair has done a lot of interviews criticizing guys like Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes, and Bruno Sammartino. Flair is first to point out a guy like Lex Luger or Bret Hart for disrespecting the business he professes to love so much. At the same time, none of these guys ever performed such an egregious act in the business as Ric Flair.

Vince McMahon is another one who has dirty hands in this mess. The whole idea behind the screwing of Bret Hart was to prevent him from leaving as champion and taking the belt to WCW. Unlike Flair, Hart had too much class to do something like that. I truly believe him when he says he wouldn’t do it. Someone growing up in a wrestling family at that time in the business would never dream of such a thing. People wonder where Vince McMahon even got the idea of a screw job. It is easy, Vince was scared of retribution!

Happy Anniversary Ric Flair!

RE-EVALUATING THE CHAMP PART II

Top 25 matches from .....

NWA/WCW Power Hour 1990

Three WCW fans provide their take on the top 25 matches shown on WCW Power Hour in 1990. Zenk's name appears 5 times in the top 10 - something of an achievement given the boys are neither independent thinkers nor Z-fans. Though begrudging in their praise, the numbers do not lie and the re- evaluation continues.....

Top 25
(1) Midnight Express v. Brian Pillman/ Tom Zenk (04/20)- 70 pts
(2) Sting, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson v. Great Muta, Buzz Sawyer, Dragon Master (01/26/)- 68 pts
(3) Arn Anderson v. Great Muta (01/12)- 64pts
(4) Steiner Brothers v. Doom (03/30)- 54 pts
(5) Ric Flair v. Tom Zenk (02/02)- 49 pts
(6) Road Warriors v. Doom (02/23)- 41 pts
(7) Doom v. Tom Zenk/ Brian Pillman (06/16)- 40 pts
(8) Brian Pillman/ Tom Zenk v. Samu/ Joel Deaton (05/04)- 39 pts
(9) Tom Zenk v. Galaxian II (01/05)- 34 pts
(10) Ric Flair v. Tommy Rich (03/09)- 33 pts
(11) Midnight Express v. Lightning Express (08/31)- 32 pts
(12) Cactus Jack v. Eddie Gilbert (03/23)- 29 pts
(13) Rock n' Roll Express v. Doom (07/01)- 28 pts
(14) Ric Flair/ Arn Anderson v. Tim Horner/ Mike Rotunda (10/26)- 25 pts
(15) Brian Pillman v. Tim Horner (09/14)- 24 pts
(16) Freebirds v. Southern Boys (06/23)- 19 pts
(17) Ric Flair v. Robert Gibson (04/06)- 18 pts
(18) Midnight Express v. Tom Zenk/ Brian Pillman (06/09)- 17 pts
(19) Scott Steiner v. Ron Simmons (04/27)- 17 pts
(20) Michael Hayes v. Tracey Smothers (07/14)- 17 pts
(21) Tommy Rich/ Tim Horner v. State Patrol (07/07)- 17 pts
(22) Midnight Express v. Tommy Rich/ Tim Horner (07/22)- 16 pts
(23) Ric Flair v. Eddie Gilbert (01/12)- 16 pts
(24) Arn Anderson v. Buzz Sawyer (01/19)- 15 pts
(25) Bobby Eaton v. Tracey Smothers (09/28)- 15 pts

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Tom Zenk and Lee Scott

Lee Scott is my older brother; amazed there is anything on Youtube for him - he mainly wrestled in the Independents. He said that Muta was the most pure athlete he ever worked with or seen in any capacity. Lee suffered a fractured rib in a match with Tom Zenk (ironically, in the short time that he was there, Tom was one of the people he socialised with most) Lee found his contract had been cancelled while he was on the sidelines.